Finding Joy in the Times of Corona

Happiness has become a premium product in 'Corona Kaal' or in 'The Age of Corona'. Simple things like, hugging and talking to someone face-to-face has become taboo for an year now. I won't lie that it has been easy for me either though I am a self-confessed loner. I have tried everything to keep myself gainfully occupied even when work became scarce and family members needed to be taken care of and the best way was to take them in.

Gainful employment took various meanings for me - cook, clean, shop, chop and drop (dead at the end of the day.) Also, I went back to art and writing by hand, keeping journals, diaries and doodle pads. I tried to go back to my childhood looking for things that made me happy and dug out board games and old Doordarshan shows on YouTube.

The only time I took the camera out of the house was last month when it seemed that the virus was on the wane but, it has made a comeback this month and how!

One whole year later, I can honestly say that non-deliberate slow living is a killer.

Don't take me otherwise, I am a great believer in slow living and must confess that it has been great for me when I had been practicing it deliberately. Not when it was enforced upon me last year by a pesky virus.

The top 10 things that kept me going during Corona Kaal were simple things that mostly included - but of course, human interaction.

1. Spending time with my family in my home (that would never have happened under normal circumstances.) At one point I had both my parents and then, I had my mother, sister and niece staying with me. It was hectic and physically taxing but, such happy times. I am really thankful for the six months my house was open for my family.

2. Spending winter afternoons at the building terrace chatting with neighbors, playing board games, watching flashy migratory birds in the nearby clump of trees, singing, drying launtry in the afternoon Sun and enjoying bonfires in the evening. It was a piece directly out of my childhood memories. Full of warmth and smell of burning logs.

3. Sharing food with neighbours and exchanging recipes. Don't even get me started on this one. The last year was the year of extensive and experimental cooking till most people started getting dreaded words like, cholestrol, uric acid and what not in their yearly blood reports! 

4. Going out once in 10 days to buy groceries and chatting up with the vendors. Talking to the shopkeepers and roadside vendors and listening to their stories and issues are highlights of my week. The market days are full of local news and political discussions. I really look forward to them over the ease of getting everything delivered at my doorstep.

5. Finding out shops that sell art and craft supplies and spending whatever leftover money from the groceries on paint and paper, brush and pens. It was so therapeutic. Creative outlet is my go to psychiatrist these days. Or, at least an instant pick-me-up.

6. Meeting known faces on the road and passing them by because of the mask has been crazy but, upon realizing who it is, it's the best feeling to be able to spend a few minutes talking and exchanging news however mundane. Just saying 'Namaste' or 'hi' to someone I am used to talking all the time before, never fails to make me emotional in a happy kind of way these days. 

7. Gardening. Can't explain what the sight of a thriving plant that I had foraged or a new leaf coming out of an old plant makes me feel. I must confess that I have cried at the sight of a new leaf - go figure!

8. Writing by hand. It made me so happy that I had stopped blogging altogether till today. Enough said.

9. WhatsApp maybe a curse and have broken up old friends with new political differences but, the video calls were highlights of many a days when there was nothing to look forward to but, long winter evenings that were really hard. Family and friends from different cities and other parts of the world were there to reassure that I was not alone. Many of my uncles and aunts and also my mother learnt how to use the video calling facility and it made them feel so happy to see each other and talk like they were in the same room. Warmed the cockles of my heart.

10. No thanks to mainstream media with its made up news but, YouTube's the hero all the way. Truth found a new space here though it is under government scrutiny these days. But, with videos on myriad topics from food to lifestyle, DIY, art, culture and 'real' news. I think YouTube's slayed it for me. 

I won't say that was all but, these were defintly the things that kept me sane and grounded. I also re-started Yoga since my annual blood report fared no better than that of the rest of the world. 

Mainly I learnt that my happiness is totally dependent upon me. I alone am responsible for keeping it sane and healthy. I am not ashamed to say that I did touch rock bottom several times and lost some loved ones and spent sleepless nights praying for recovery of others. But, through it all what kept me going was faith that, 'this too shall pass'.

Despite the shelved life plans, scare of even a single sneeze or running nose or inability to make rotis that are soft and fluffy everyday or, not being able to plan for the future, the things that keeps me going are, kindness of random people, smiles of complete strangers and a strong belief that this is not the end and life will be back on tracks - soon.

Do share your experinces as well. Because, together we will get over this too. 

Take care and stay safe.

Picture Credits: Shoma Chakraborty

Standing Still

There's a life 
Without rush.
I want to be in it.
To stand still
And look at the 
World passing by.
I want to stare at the clock.
Count the minutes.
Lie down.
Watch the clouds.
Taste water 
On my tongue.
Close my eyes.
Count my breath.
Feel the breeze
On my arms.
The goosebumps.
The heightened sense,
That makes me alive.
I want to be,
In that life.
Uncluttered,
Unfettered,
Uncensored.
I want to be
In that life 
Without rush.
~ Shoma 

Artwork: Shoma Chakraborty

The Hipster and her Cuppa

All through my teens and the twenties, I followed all the (Indian) hipster or arty traits - wore handloom, went for plays, had hot political discussions, read thick life-changing books, studied literature, watched avant garde cinema even carried a jhola but, there are two things that I never did - I never wore a fedora and never drank tea.

I have not worn a fedora till date but, tried on other kinds of hats and caps and though I worked as a journalist for the first part of my career, I didn't have tea till I left journalism, left the city of my birth and my family behind and replanted my self into another place.

I have always believed that I came of age in my very late 20s and early to mid 30s. I was a late bloomer or plain dumb about life till it hit me with a ton of bricks on my face.

Anyway, coming back to tea that has become my best friend somehow in the last decade or so. I never drank tea because I was brought up on milk. I loved milk. I could have milk any time of the day and feel lucky. My friends hated me for that because, I would go to their homes, turn down their mom's offer for a cup of tea and ask for a glass of milk instead - even in college! This not just embarrassed my poor friends but, also got them huge lectures on how they should also drink tea like me - facepalm and sorry everyone I did this to. I was too selfish and too much in love with milk to be any better.

It is almost surreal to think that in my avataar as a cub in the newsroom I was in-charge of 'making tea' for a whole year for the entire team because, I was the youngest. I knew exactly how much sugar or milk each person in the room wanted and if someone wanted none. We used to get a pot of tea with separate sugar and milk with cups and dishes every 3 hours on a silver platter - literally. It was a luxury that stopped at that. The serving had to be done by the people themselves. So, according to some crazy old tradition, the serving had to be done by whoever was the youngest in the room till someone younger than them joined the team. I was stuck with serving for more than a year!

Gossip from a Tea House in Delhi

Anyhow, while making tea for everyone even in the coldest of winter evenings in Delhi, I didn't feel like taking a sip myself. It was simply a matter of taste.

In my new avataar in a corporate company in a new city by the sea full of tinsel dreams, I was happy to skip winter altogether. For the first couple of years I didn't care for tea even when I settled into Bomaby. However, I tried out some raw and Darjeeling tea with friends at coffee shops because, coffee is  another drink I don't indulge in - I still don't. By now there was no one I knew who didn't drink tea or coffee. Life had changed by 360 degrees.

I think it was in 2005 that I started having black or raw tea in the  mornings as an experiment. I tried it with sugar, strong, with honey and then, light and without any condiments. I could not have warm milk by then because, I had developed lactose allergy - Sigh! 

Love and a Cup of Tea

With time I started experimenting and found out the various blends, about the aroma and even different flavors and herbs that go well with tea. It has been a great journey is all I can say. In the last several years we (tea and I) have come a long way. I drink it with salt, honey, sugar, nothing and still love it though milky tea is still a big no. 

Now I cannot imagine mornings and evenings without tea or reading a book or watching Netflix or bad TV at my parents' without a cuppa. 

Tea has this endearing quality like water. It makes you feel full and hydrated, it takes away pimples - the villains from teenage years, it gives you warmth in the coldest of days and keeps you from being thirsty on a hot day. You can drink it hot or cold and as a fancyass drink at a high-end cafe.

Storm outside an Icy Teacup

Since we started our journey together, tea and I have traveled back to Delhi, taken highs with lows and gone through life as best friends. I have written poems and clicked enough pictures of my teacups from across India to stand testimony to our love. I have felt it give me support and warmth in the coldest of situations and let me breathe when the dementors came to suck my happiness. It has been my Patronus and light in the darkest of days - sorry for the Potter references but, somehow there's no other way to explain this better. 

Love aka Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Tea may not be someone's whiskey but, it does better. It gives you courage and strength by letting you regroup your thoughts. It doesn't addle your brain and it does not judge you for being poor. You can still buy your cup of happiness from the local stall for 5 bucks.

Tea may not have made me rethink my life but, it has given me courage to face it without fear on winter mornings when the world is freezing but, you have to drive 35 km one way in the fog to reach work and come back in worse light. One cup before leaving and thinking of another waiting for you when you get to your destination is enough to keep you going. It is like Birbal ki Khichri really. It lets you survive the worst. (If you don't know what I am talking about, please click on the link to read.)

Birbal ki Khichri 

I think Indians should make tea their national drink because it reminds me of Birbal ki Khichri when I see the crowd around a tea stall in winters - people with little hope and kids with almost no warm clothes hold on to their small plastic cups tightly to let heat seep into their hands and let their imagination take over. 

Imagination is such a big champion of the will to continue when reality looks like death on testosterone. Tea lets you dream that you are warm, among friends and at home - the aroma, the warmth and the smile that it brings to your lips on a cold winter evening or when you are completely soaked by Monsoon rains and have bone aching fever. In your imagination tea changes the bleak and the drab to something possible to surmount because there is still love all around you. Tea is magic in a cup. I am glad that I found it when I did because, as a child I never lacked magic in my life but, as an adult I was desperately in need of some that did not make my mind hallucinate chemically.

And no, I wouldn't want to mix tea with politics because look at where it has taken America. They now want a Wall like the Chinese. I believe tea is more of an icebreaker than a wall maker and the country that started its journey with a tea party and the country that introduced tea to the world both threw up politicians that believe in walls for safety. Come on guys where's your heart? Sometimes I worry that with a chaiwallah as a PM, India too maybe heading for a wall - or maybe not.

But, whatever it may be, with wall or without, here's saying cheers to chai!

I Hold my Key to Happiness

There are days when everything feels dull. Even rain fails to raise your spirit and mile long traffic jams make resistance futile even for the most resilient among us.

By afternoon you are angst-ridden, irritated and wondering, why did you even get out of the bed in the morning? 

Often, such questions defy answers - especially if it is a Monday like today! 

So, I try going existential and ask myself questions like, 'Can a whole life be lived in a single Monday? Or Can one evening of your life be the most important and most exciting of your life?

The answer I feel is, yes.

These moments that pass us by at breakneck speed are ours to either fill with happiness and laughter so that they become framed in our memories as happy events.

Why else would I hold on to a memory from age three, where my ma after dressing me in a yellow T shirt with a couple of dancing foxes embossed on it and dousing me in baby talc, gives me a hug calling me "shonamoni"?

Or when at age 5 I had to clean up all the toys after my toddling sister who declared very grandly, "I know how to play, but not how to clean up." I was not angry. Mildly irritated but, immensely tickled by her attitude. She had just learnt to speak.

   

I keep getting these flashes from far away summer vacations when we had stolen sweets from my grandmom's larder and hidden them in the coal cellar. We were of course caught red handed eating the exposed sweets and told, 'now you have eaten what all the cockroaches and bacteria has already tasted..." We thought, we were going to die!

I also remember how someone from Delhi upon looking at the Juhu sea for the first time from the double Decker bus in Bombay exclaimed, "Look. I never knew there was a desert in Bombay!"

I had looked around wondering, "did anyone else in here hear what was just said?"

Life is nothing but memories. I firmly believe that they should be happy rather than sad.

I have always taken a mental broom and cleaned out bad memories from my mind. It is easy, just clean up and throw inside a mental strong box and lock it up.

Keep the key safe. Ensure that only you should be able to open it and  no one else.

And coming back to Mondays, I have a similar strong box of happy moments where I have lived an entire short life. I just open the box and let it rain happy memories when stuck in a jam, facing a hard-to-please client or almost dozing off in a boring meeting or something much worse. Happy memories and happy times make you feel life's easy.

Also, when you look up in a bad situation and smile at another miserable soul, you make that person happy as well.

I try making happy memories in even the worst of times. I keep one eye out for that silver lining that most of us miss because we are busy being miserable. You never know when you'll need to open this treasure chest and cheer yourself up because nothing seems to be going your way at all. So, keep this key handy.

It is easy to do. Just smile and look around and everything will change around you. You are free to look away from the reasons that are causing you heartburn, ignore them even. After all, it is your life. You need to call the shots not anyone else.

Fifteen Great Ideas to do up Your Small Balcony

I love to be out in the open. I know that Delhi is polluted and dry with unfriendly seasons. But, that does not deter me. I still love to wander around and also sit outside. I don't mind spending a little bit of time everyday in natural surroundings.

After all, you can cover it a little and hide it from direct heat and dust or even prying eyes if it's out in the open.

1

I hate air conditioners and feel that they are a necessary evil thanks to Delhi Summers that are relentless. I wish it would not be so aggressive neither winters such killers or eating dinner out with family would have had a different meaning altogether.

2

But, I love siting out early in the morning or in the evenings. Having a cup of chai outside while waiting for the cows come home could be one of my top 10 pass times.

3

There is this whole dream of mine that includes a happy place in the open where I can sit in the Sun during winters and watch the rains in Monsoons. I want to spend hours there reading, chatting, talking to friends and family...

I keep thinking of it as my secret place. Maybe, even a secret garden.

4

5

I think plants. Lots of plants, hidden or dimmed lights and restful spaces. I think of blossoming flowers and chubby succulents.

6

7

8

9

I think of colors. I love bold colors. Maybe a swing and some paintings on the wall.

10

11

Maybe a desk where I can sit and work. Wouldn't it be kickass?

12

Or entertain close friends!

13

Last week I thought of start work on designing one and here are some great ideas I came across. I thought of sharing them with all of you out here in case you want to do up yours too.

14

Happy designing your patios and varandah / balcony!

15

"Travel is Rebellion in its Purest Form"

I must tell you right up that I am  not rich or famous. Also, that I do not have a huge budget to spend on travels. So, if you say that I travel on a shoe string budget, then you will not be wrong.

I do.

I am also not a world wanderer but, I plan to start doing that someday soon.

I must also confess that I do not have an expensive camera to click earth shattering photos. But, what I do have are, a streak of rebellion against anything that smacks of discipline and an eye for beauty. That makes up for lack of expensive equipments.

You are right in thinking that I am not your usual safe job and still life kind of person. I like trying out new things. I am the person who tries taking a different route everyday to reach home.

Believe me. I actually do that.

Often, conservatives label me as a creative person - read quirky here. Their tone suggests that I maybe someone neck deep in debt and sponging off my folks. Believe me, they are actually very far from truth. I work. I work hard and live not very lavishly. But, I fend for myself and do okey!

So, I can safely say that I am a rebel against straight-jacketing. I hate to be put in a pile with others under a complacent label.

I believe that a few risks are necessary in life and one should take them. Travelling is perhaps the safest and the happiest risk that you can take.

I find that when a person is traveling they are different people.

When away from my city, I am not me.

I am free.

Free of any obligations towards anyone I already know. Free of any images or classifications that label me in my world.

I am an unknown and no one expects anything from me except perhaps a smile and some grace.

Whenever I go away from my usual life I feel a lightness of being that is almost physical.

I carry on even on a twisted ankle or with a slight fever.

Actually, I think I get a slight fever every time I plan a travel. I think it is the excitement that does it.

So, when anyone says, "let us go for a weekend trip." I would mostly say, "Yay!" Unless I am bone tired or flooded out.

Sometimes, I do pretend travel as well. Just go around the city I am in and behave like a tourist. I bet a lot of other people do that as well. But, a whole lot do not. And these are the disciplined, straight-laced people who are actually doing their best to save the world while, people like me and my ilk go around loitering and discovering.

Why am I writing this?

It was yesterday when I heard someone say, "travel is rebellion in its purest form!" in the middle of a boring speech, it popped open my sleepy eyes. Believe me before he'd said that, I was dozing on my feet like a horse!

So, that it what it was. Said my mind. Hmmm...

When out on the road, I eat anything, use public washrooms and forget all about sanitizing my hands!

I sing and break into a dance and walk to my heart's content.

I talk to strangers and smile at the locals.

I request strangers to pose for pictures and am often asked to handle unknown cameras to click those family photos of complete unknowns.

I try local food and practically live out of the box - literally and mentally as well.

It makes my heart soar. My adrenaline rush and lips smile involuntarily.

Since I am a self-confessed shoe string budget traveler, I do not have to worry too much about spending. So, that is an even bigger freedom.

The only thing I check is to see that the place I stay in or the road I travel on has enough safety checks. It works for me mostly though it may not for others.

Safety is the only thing that scares me so, I try moving in places that are not too far off the beaten track. A small compromise if you ask me.

I suggest travel as an antidote for most of you. Especially if you are out of stories to tell at parties and get together or just to yourself when you are down and out.

I suggest that you all go out on shoestring budgets if money is a bother and a hindrance just, go on small trips near your city or town. Search the Internet and see if it has the facilities like, safety for women and the elderly, food, doctors, accessibility to public transport, scenic spots that you can just walk up to for free and overall a happy ambiance.

Personally I prefer places not really frequented by tourists but, to each his/ her own. If you like crowds - so be it! But, go. Don't wait for money, right weather or children's long vacations...

Trust me, you will not regret going out. What you may regret is never doing it while you could.

Happy traveling folks!

By Road in India - A photojournal

In the last few years I have done several road trips thanks to a friend and brother who loves to drive and because of my own need to loiter and walk around. Another reason why I started traveling by road is the recent inability of my parents to use public transport due to advanced years.

I love to walk around on roads that have been traveled by a zillion before me. I can walk the length and breadth of the country and not feel too much fatigue unless it is peak Summer! :)

Luckily for me, I am in North India and near the mighty Himalayas.

I love to see sunsets and sunrise from myriad different roads and angles.

I truly believe that India is best traveled by road.

The green and the browns of the fields make up for the most beautiful tapestry.

It is more interesting than railway journeys because people have selectively encroached upon spaces next to the railway lines making them ugly extensions of your cities and their mess.

I am not much of a photographer because I do not possess any expensive cameras or camera phones. However, it does not matter because, India is incredible. I do not know how else to put it. Here a few moments that I wanted to share with the world that have been captured by me and my co-travellers over the last few years:

Jaipur by night

Jaipur at sunrise

Agra - Jahangir's bath tub at Agra Fort

Assembly building at Lucknow

On the Road, Delhi-Jaipur Highway

Chakala (Image courtesy: Barsha Chakraborty) 

Waiting for pizza at Pushkar (Image courtesy: Barsha Chakraborty)

Kangra

Taj Mahal from the Yamuna

Window from the Past, Delhi - Jamali Kamali

Kangra, Young girl

Sunset, Mussoorie (Image courtesy: Vikek Garg)

Monkey business, Lucknow

McLeodganj

Amritsar, Golden Temple

Bhangarh, Ghost Town

Bhangarh, ghost town

Jama Masjid, Delhi with a happy family (Image courtesy: William Buckner)

The momo lady, McLeodganj

Rishikesh, reclining meditation 

Rishikesh, Ganga

Sunrise @ McLeodganj

Mussoorie, Queen of the hills

Inside Bara Imambara, Lucknow

Lucknow evening on the road

Shimla

Taj Mahal, Agra (Image courtesy: Deepayan Basu)

Taj Mahal at dawn

Copyright: All images are personal clicks except for those mentioned in the caption.